"A
lot of guys have tattoos of devils and skulls and some things satanic but
that just wasn't me."

- Ron Jones

Ron
Jones lives in Bartlesville,
Oklahoma about 50 miles west of
Vinita,
via Highway 60. Ron is a car enthusiast driving a patriotic 1956
Chevy decked out in shining red, white and blue that he has owned for
thirty years. Mr. Jones and his classic car once made a trip all
the way to Los Angeles,
California for a one day car show. In addition, he and his
car have often traveled to Laughlin,
Nevada
and Monroe, Louisiana. He says: "I'm not afraid to go
anywhere at the drop of a hat if I can."

Back in the mid 1990's, Ron and his prized 210 two
door sedan went to a car show in
Tulsa,
Oklahoma. There, amongst the classic cars, was what? None other than a
Route 66
exhibit with all manner of
Mother Road
memorabilia, and that was the hook that "drove” Ron to his current
obsession.

Ron
and his customized Chevy, complete with sunroof and a log chain
steering wheel, began to travel the
Mother Road. But that wasn’t enough for Ron. He wanted even more of dear old
"Mother." At the age of 51, he got his first tattoo. Of
what? You guessed it - ole’
Route 66!
The tattoo was of the 66 shield and a piece of the highway.

Four years later, in 2004, he had 23 of them running up
and down his legs! Having at least two from each state, including one of the long lost Coral Court in
St. Louis,
Missouri.

When I asked Ron in 2004 if he has a favorite tattoo,
he said: "I really don't have a favorite because they all mean
something different." However, he really likes the Snow Cap
Drive-Inn in
Seligman,
Arizona. Of the Snow Cap, Ron said: "The owner, Juan Delgadillo, was a real treasure of
Route 66."

He also likes the one of the 66 Drive-In in
Carthage,
Missouri, because it displays the
back end of his car; and he likes the Cozy Dog in
Springfield,
Illinois,
because the owner is a friend of his.